| Bessie Crismon lovingly treasured these documents for many years. This is evidenced by the worn condition of the paper. At age eighteen her husband, William (none) Crismon, enlisted in the Army on November 21, 1912 at Jefferson Barracks, St. Louis, Missouri. His initial enlistment was for seven years. During the 1912-1919 enlistment William was furloughed to the Reserve on November 22, 1916. Since he never had one before, he went to St. Louis and took a civilian job. The United States entered WWI in April 1917. On July 1, 1917 he voluntarily reported to active duty at Jefferson Barracks. He said his brief life as a civilian convinced him the Army was his home. In 1919 after he returned from WWI service in France, William was discharged and then reenlisted for three years. We have no record of that 1919-1922 Discharge/Reenlistment. On May 8, 1922 William reenlisted for three more years; this is that Discharge/Reenlistment record. In summary, we are missing the 1912-1919 and 1919-1922 Discharge/Reenlistment documents. The 16 presented documents chronicle the military career of William Crismon (Pop). A devoted husband and father, military and family recollections and comments intertwine. |